


Grateful to You

by Shaw



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Canon Compliant, Day At The Beach, Gen, Namine has a fun day, Post-Canon, Riku relaxes with friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-24 22:39:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17713004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaw/pseuds/Shaw
Summary: Riku, Namine, and Xion enjoy a day of beach related relaxation together. Namine can only think of how grateful she is that she's no longer trapped. Not in a room, not within her own head, and not in someone else's memories. She's free and nothing says freedom like the ocean.





	Grateful to You

The surf washed up over Namine’s feet periodically as she stood there and stared out over the horizon. It made her feels so, so many things. The first time she’d stood here she had simply cried. The world was just so… _big_. So _open_. Sometimes thinking about how different her life was now still made her throat tighten and her eyes sting. If there was anything to get used to though, it was being free. 

 

“Namine!” Xion’s voice broke her from her trance and she turned quickly. The other girl was crouched over a small pool of water further up the beach, Riku joining her. She couldn’t help the smile that came to her face as she quickly jogged over and dropped to her knees in the sand with them. 

 

“A tide pool!” She exclaimed, gazing into the shallow water. Riku laughed softly and pointed down into the small puddle of water. 

 

“Look. Can you see them? There’s little fish in there in there.” Xion grinned excitedly at Namine before diverting her gaze downward. Namine leaned in more to get a look at what Riku was gesturing to. It took her a moment but she eventually made sense of the shifting shapes in the water. There were several little fish in there! 

 

“And look, Namine! A snail.” Xion carefully plucked one of the creatures in the tide pool out, brandishing it towards Namine and Riku proudly. The creature had retracted back into its shell before hesitantly poking its head back out in curiosity. Namine wished she’d brought her sketchbook, it was just too cute. 

 

“There’s a couple of sea urchins in here too.” Riku noted, watching Xion gently place the disturbed snail back into the pool. 

 

“It’s so pretty… Xion, can you take a picture with your phone? Please?” Namine tucked some of her hair back behind her ear as she spoke, not taking her eyes off the numerous little creatures packed into the puddle. It was a wonder how they all got in there. 

 

“Sure! Are you going to draw it later?” 

 

“Mhm! Thank you so much.” As Xion got up and ran the way over to where they’d all left there stuff, Riku called after her. 

“Make sure you don’t drop it into the tide pool, Xion. I’m pretty sure these things aren’t waterproof.” 

 

“Maybe we should ask Chip and Dale about that?” Namine pondered aloud. Looking back to her, Riku shrugged slightly. 

 

“It would be useful… Knowing how clumsy some of us are, it’d be a practical feature.” Namine cast a sheepish glance away, clearing her throat. It wasn’t her fault she was so uncoordinated sometimes. She wasn’t used to existing in a world where so many other things were around her. 

 

“Back! Roxas texted me too-- Looks like he’s hanging out with Ienzo today. Look.” She held her phone out for Namine and Riku to see, showing a picture of Roxas and Ienzo shoulder to shoulder in front of some place wholly unfamiliar to anyone present. Riku arched an eyebrow at it but didn’t ask any further questions. He doubted Ienzo would get talked into anything too outlandish. 

 

“We should take a picture and send it to him!” Namine suggested, excitedly. Riku suddenly looked a little sheepish and opened his mouth to say something before Xion cut him off. 

 

“You’re right! We can even send him a picture of the tide pool. I bet Ienzo knows all kinds of stuff about tide pools. He’s so smart!” Riku puffed up slightly at this, looking the slightest bit affronted. 

 

“I know a lot of tide pools too, you know. I grew up here after all.” Namine coyly nudged him and flashed a smile. 

 

“Of course, Riku.” His face flushed slightly as his mouth set in a stubborn line. She couldn’t help but laugh at it. Xion giggled as well, taking a picture of the scene before her. This only served to fan the flames of Riku’s embarrassment as he blinked in surprise and struggled to find the words to express himself. 

 

“You-- You just took a picture of me? Come on, Xion, delete that.” Xion shook her head fiercely with a loud ‘nuh-uh!’ as she clutched her phone to her chest protectively. 

 

“No way, Riku. It was a good picture! It made you look really cute. All the pictures I have of you, you look so serious.”

 

“You should send that to me. I need a new picture for Riku’s contact.” Namine added. Riku looked like he was going to say something before closing his mouth and sighing through his nose. He shook his head, but a fond smile betrayed him as he stood and stretched his legs. Xion eyed him for a moment longer before deciding he was of no threat to her photo gallery. She waved at Namine to stand up as well. 

 

“Okay guys, on three, smile!” Even with the phone held out all the way by Xion, Riku was not quite in the picture. After a couple moments of reluctance he leaned down. They each counted a number, ending with Riku on ‘Three’ before Xion hit the button and the picture was taken. 

 

And a lovely picture it was. Riku was in the middle, one hand on each of the girls shoulders and a subtle but genuine smile on his face. Xion’s own beam of a smile spoke everything that need be said, the hand not holding the camera flashing up a little peace sign. Namine had stuck with just waving at the camera, her own joy filled expression still slightly foreign to look at. She quickly wiped at her eyes to keep herself from shedding any tears. 

 

“It looks great.” Xion affirmed, hitting the send button before turning her camera on the tide pool. Once that was also taken, her fingers went flying across the keyboard of the phone. Namine still thought it was impressive that Xion had learned how to use her phone so well, so quickly. She still had trouble using hers for anything other than calling people or taking the occasional picture. 

 

“Hopefully the tide comes back in soon.” Riku murmured, dropping back into a squat to examine the tide pool again. Namine tilted her head slightly, watching as he reached into the pool and plucked out a strange little creature he had previously called a ‘sea bunny’. He held it in his hand for a bit, watching it, before slipping it back into the pool. 

 

“That’s right… If the tide doesn’t come back in time, the pool dries up and they all die, don’t they?” Xion frowned at this and fussed with her phone for a moment before stuffed it into the pocket of her shorts. 

 

“Not if we help them, right? We can go get a bucket and scoop them up in there and then put them back into the ocean!” RIku seemed taken aback by the suggestion for a moment before he smiled brightly and laughed, standing up slowly. Namine blinked at him in confusion, unsure of what was so funny. 

 

“You know, Xion, sometimes… You remind me a lot of him.” The him didn’t need to be named. They all knew who Riku was talking about. A silent moment was given before Xion stepped over to Riku’s side, linking her arm with his.

 

“Let’s go see if anybody has a bucket handy, alright? Want to help us look, Namine?” 

 

“Of course! Let’s work quickly so that we don’t keep them waiting.” She said, casting a glance to the tide pool. All the little creatures were depending on them, after all. Xion held out her other arm for Namine who took it quickly. With mismatched paces, they managed to meander their way around the island to find a bucket. Luckily, Waka was kind enough to let them borrow one before letting them get back to their business. 

 

Returned to the tide pool, the trio made quick work of getting the critters into the bucket with enough water and dumping them back into the ocean. Xion and Namine gave Riku the honors since he could wade the farthest into the ocean to make sure they got far enough out to not be washed back up so soon. When he returned, they gave him ample thanks before pointing out another tide pool that needed their attention.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this one, short and sweet, at 2 AM. Hopefully I didn't make too many errors! Thanks so much for reading! Kudos appreciated, comments even more so! Hope you liked it!


End file.
